High and Low

The high point of Easter worship for me was the duet "O Death Where is thy Sting" sung by a teenager in our church, who has just been diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis, and her father.

The low point began when our Children's Ministry director launched her Children's Moment with the question, "Where does new life come from?" I immediately thought, "Oh no. This is not going to end well--and there is an excellent chance that my son will be the reason this does not end well." She showed the kids seeds, which look like pebbles but spring to life when the rain hits them. She showed them lily bulbs which look like ugly onions, but when buried in the earth, transform into glorious flowers. Then she held up and egg and said, "Now who could imagine that any kind of life could come from this hard, cold thing?" Whereupon, just as I'd feared, my son piped up, "Well, first you have to send the hen to meet the rooster. . ." Needless to say, no really heard the wrap up about these things being Easter symbols because they remind us of Jesus, who was dead and rose again and that Christ is the true source of new life for us all.